In this interview, we sit down with Chris Jerome, the teacher who, out of boredom during the 2021 COVID summer, turned a personal “intellectual outlet” into the viral Facebook page, The Radical Independent. Jerome shares the journey of his page, which quickly found its focus as a nonpartisan voice dedicated to challenging the status quo.
Jerome minces no words, describing the current two-party system as a “corrupt, rigged duopoly”. He explains why, in today’s highly tribal and polarized times, simply choosing to stay centered and independent is a “radical move” and an act of “bravery”.
He emphasizes that achieving "free, fair, competitive elections" must be a grassroots, state-by-state effort. He discusses the challenge of spreading a nonpartisan message and curating civil discourse on social media, admitting he has had to embrace memes to strike a balance between message and clicks. He also shares how managing the page has required him to gain more "patience" and "grace" in discussions, and how his thinking has changed by realizing "how deep rooted some of these issues are".
Watch the full discussion to hear Chris Jerome’s personal story, the specific electoral reforms he supports, and his perspective on how citizens can start fighting to reclaim a political system they feel has been "hijacked".
